On Parklaan in Eindhoven, dozens of healthy trees have been illegally cut down. The Municipality of Eindhoven knows nothing about it, and is outraged at the state of affairs. Climate Mayor Judith Lammers prevented more trees from being knocked down at the last minute.
“I passed Parklaan on my bicycle”, Lammers says. “On the way there, I saw some saplings being cut down. On the way back I saw that they were working on a huge tree. That’s when I knew something wasn’t right”.
Lammers did not hesitate for a moment, got off her bike and went standing in front of it. As a result, the felling company had no choice but to stop their work. “I started calling Trefpunt Groen (green meeting point), enforcement, and the Partij voor de Dieren (party for the animals). Moreover, the company could not show a permit. They always have to have that with them, so it was clear it wasn’t in order”.
Illegal
The company then tried to get Lammers to leave. “They said it was private property, and that they would call the police if I didn’t leave”, Lammers said. “I said it was a good idea to call the police because the tree cutting was illegal. Eventually, enforcement came with the city’s tree inspector. They finally stopped the felling permanently”.
Permit
In late 2022, an application was made for a permit to cut down one tree. That permit was for the felling of a “monumental tree”, which is iconic to the greenery on Parklaan. However, the tree was diseased and no longer had a long life expectancy, so Eindhoven agreed to cut it down.
Trefpunt Groen, which advises the municipality on such requests, also agreed to the felling, but informed that a new tree had to be replanted.
Instead of one tree being cut down, however, dozens were cut down. Moreover, the diseased specimen was left standing. The Municipality of Eindhoven expressed its shock. “We find it terrible that trees were cut down. Especially mature trees are important for the livability of the city for people and animals. We are going to get to the bottom of this”. So informs the municipality.
Consequences
What will happen next is not clear. Possibly the felling will be legalised afterwards. However, the municipality does not seem to assume that. In that case, the person responsible for the felling will have to replace it with greenery, or come up with money.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
